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Biden vs. Cheney on Sunday Shows; New NATO Military Assault in Afghanistan; Trial of 9/11 Terror Suspects Still Up in the Air; Climate Change Gets Political in DC; Tracking Haiti's Baby Doc; Tax Changes: What You Need to Know

Aired February 14, 2010 - 22:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening. I'm Don Lemon.

A war of words like you've never seen before. Two vice presidents debating on television the biggest challenges facing our nation. You'll see it tonight.

Mark Preston and Lynn Sweet are here to take us through it.

Mark and Lyn, Vice President Joe Biden and former Vice President Dick Cheney, first, they went at it over the likelihood of another 9/11-style attack. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: There's a very high threat that Al Qaeda is trying very hard to acquire a weapon of mass destruction, and if they're successful in acquiring it, that they will use it.

I think he's right. I think, in fact, the situation with respect to Al Qaeda to say that, you know, that was a big attack we had on 9/11 but it's not likely again, I just think that's dead wrong.

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I always underestimate the way Dick Cheney approaches things. The reason it's unlikely is because we have been relentless, absolutely relentless in isolating the Al Qaeda, central Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda coming out of the Afghan-Pakistan region.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Mark Preston, what brought this on?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, you know, clearly, we have two administrations right now, Don, trying to really establish themselves as the leader on this issue and many issues.

Certainly when it comes to terror, the issue of terror, you have Vice President Biden out there just talking about how they've been trying to clean up this what they would call a mess that the Bush administration left them. And you have Dick Cheney, who has been really the biggest defender of how the Bush administration has dealt with the terror issue.

LEMON: Lynn, planned strategy here?

LYNN SWEET, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, "CHICAGO SUN-TIMES": Well, there actually was a trigger to what set off Vice President Cheney. There is a debate now even within the Obama administration of whether or not one of the 9/11 bombers should have a trial in a federal court in New York, and it looks like the Obama administration is changing its mind on that.

And also whether or not this should -- you know, the suspect should be in a military trial or commission rather than a federal courtroom.

So, you have some issues out there that Vice President Cheney uses, an entree point to a discussion that he's had before. You know, his position has been that the Obama administration isn't as serious on terrorism as the Bush administration was...

LEMON: Lynn, we're going to get to that in a little bit, actually...

SWEET: Today, Biden had a strong comeback.

LEMON: Yes. We're going to play that in just a little bit because I want to talk about this first before we get to that. Huge differences on national security and the handling of the Christmas Day terror suspect. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHENEY: The thing I learned from watching that process unfold, though, was that the administration really wasn't equipped to deal with the aftermath of an attempted attack against the United States in the sense that they didn't know what to do with the guy.

BIDEN: I don't know what Dick's been doing lately. I don't know -- we did exactly what he did with the shoe bomber -- Richard Reid, exactly what he did. We brought in the experts. I was told he said we didn't bring in the right people. The experts are the FBI interrogators. They are the best that we have. We brought them in immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, Lynn, despite back and forth here, who's telling the truth? Can we decipher?

SWEET: Well, there's no reason not to believe that the Obama administration thinks that they have gotten all they could get out of the so-called underwear or Christmas Day bomber through the interrogation techniques they have.

Cheney has a point that he thought that he should not have been questioned under civilian authorities, put him in a military brig and they have every option open. That is chilling to some Americans who thought -- you know, who wanted Obama to proceed this way.

What the Obama White House is saying, though, which I guess kind of gives them the leg up is that they were able to get plenty of information from him, cooperating voluntarily even under the circumstances that they had.

And you know what? I'm just not in a position to know on this one. Very few people are. Who's right? These are not interrogations where you get a transcript -- Don.

LEMON: Right. Who's right and who's wrong.

Hey, let's stick with terror here because they are also differing on treating the fight against terror as a war here. Vice President Joe Biden had a very strong response to that, Mark. Listen and I want you to respond to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHENEY: I think we have to treat it as a -- as a war. This is a strategic threat to the United States. I think that's why we were successful for 7 1/2 years in avoiding a further major attack against the United States. And I do get very nervous and very upset when that's the dominant approach.

BIDEN: I don't think the vice -- the former vice president, Dick Cheney, listens. The president of the United States said in the State of the Union we're at war with Al Qaeda. He said this. And by the way, we're pursuing that war with vigor like it's never been seen before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So listen, Mark, the administration had to know that this was going to cause a bit of a ruckus, as did former Vice President Dick Cheney. They had to know about this before they went into it.

PRESTON: Yes. You know, I think certainly what we saw play out today is that the administration, you know, knew that Dick Cheney was going to be a guest on ABC "This Week." So what they decided to do was try to put him out there to not only try to rebut him.

Right before that interview, he taped one of these interviews last night. He did the second interview this morning live, Don, so they tried to sandwich Cheney between two hours.

Now, I will tell you, I think the administration is really trying to be aggressive in pushing back against Dick Cheney. This isn't the first time Vice President Cheney has been critical of the Obama administration certainly when it comes to the issue of terror.

LEMON: All right, Mark and Lynn, stand by because I want to bring in our Pentagon correspondent right now, Chris Lawrence. He joins us.

You know, the new NATO offensive is under way in Afghanistan. It's a huge political issue as well. So Chris, you reported on this terrible accident earlier tonight, killing 12 civilians. What can you tell us?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, the Marines say they were taking direct fire from the Taliban and so they used a highly sophisticated mobile artillery system to aim two rockets at the Taliban holed up in that compound. The rockets missed. Went about 300 yards off course. Hit that home, killing 12 civilians.

The U.S. has now apologized and suspended use of that rocket system until they figure out what went wrong. That's where we are now.

This is going to give you an idea of where we're going. The areas in red are the Taliban influence. And this, again, is exactly where we're talking about -- Marjah. That is the area where the bulk of the work is going to be done over this next week.

What originally was Taliban hit-and-run targets, now what you're going to be seeing is Taliban dug into neighborhoods. U.S. troops seeing a lot more booby traps and snipers than they originally expected -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence. Thank you very much.

Let's bring Mark and Lynn back in.

Mark, you know the president has a lot really on the line here politically. Obviously, he asks for updates from the field constantly, and he's getting them.

PRESTON: Yes, he is getting them. You know, what's interesting, Don, is that when he decided to send 30,000 more U.S. troops into Afghanistan, you know, about 60 percent of Americans thought that that was a good idea. However, it's a little more than 40 percent of Americans actually support the war.

So, by and large, more than half of Americans, 55 percent, don't support the Afghan war by any means. But as Chris is talking about right there, you know, the fact is they're going in, they're trying to do this really tactical strike into Marjah.

And basically, what they're going to end up trying to do and what we've been told is they're trying to get in there and try to have the Afghan government come over and really try to start ruling themselves because the American public, Don, does not want this war to go on and on and on.

LEMON: So Lynn, you know, initially, President Bush was criticized for taking the focus off of Afghanistan for Iraq, paid more attention to Iraq. Having said that, whatever happens in Afghanistan now, is it completely owned by President Obama?

SWEET: Well, yes, because this is the war that President Obama, even then Senator Obama, never objected to. During the campaign, it really didn't get a lot of attention because so much focus was on Iraq. But, Don, Afghanistan policy has always been between Bush and Obama one of focus and no one had ever said that we shouldn't be there.

This battle is very significant. I get a sense somehow it's overshadowed maybe by snow here or the Olympics. But this is a very significant use of military force.

What is interesting, as Mark said, is that this time the follow- up is to quickly have a civilian and Afghan-run government come in and take over, so we're not -- we're not running the show there.

That is a little different approach where the State Department and the Pentagon are working towards more civilian input faster.

LEMON: And Lynn Sweet with PoliticsDaily.com and also the "Chicago Sun-Times" and Mark Preston, who's our political editor, thank you both very much.

Your week ahead. What you need to know, and what everyone will be talking about.

Also, a pileup like you won't believe. What caused this?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It happened too fast. I mean, it was just there, and I headed for the guardrail, and it didn't move. And then I just kept getting nailed from behind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And later, some expert Valentine's advice on how to use a dating website to the best advantage. Here's a tip. Don't post a profile picture of yourself drinking alcohol.

We want you to weigh in as well. Make sure you log on to the social networking sites. We're taking your comments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We're going to go now to the stories that you need to know about for the week ahead. First, I want to check in now with CNN planning editor Chris Friedman.

Chris, there's a lot of stuff on the menu here. I see on Monday there could be some trouble for John McCain. He is getting a challenger, right?

CHRIS FRIEDMAN, CNN PLANNING EDITOR: J.D. Hayworth.

LEMON: J.D. Hayworth who is a former congressman there.

And then on Tuesday, of course, down in New Orleans, we've been watching the feeds come in all night, there is Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. And then on Thursday, I see you have here on your calendar, there's a big CPAC.

FRIEDMAN: CPAC conference, the heavy hitters in the conservative movement.

LEMON: Yes. For the Republican Party. So the big grand finale, the speaker, we'll talk about that.

FRIEDMAN: What's going to happen, later, yes.

LEMON: Hey, let's walk over to Katy Byron.

And Katy, on Monday, we are still down in Haiti and we're pursuing that story. We're getting in -- talking about the decision from the judge about the 10 Americans as well who have been down there and being held in prison. There's some talk that they may not let them out. They're going back and forth. We're going to check on that.

On Tuesday, a big conference I'm hearing about in Iran that you're dealing with to talk about. What is it? It's about nuclear weapons? Ahmadinejad?

And then, Katy, also in New Orleans. We talked about that early. Not just New Orleans, right? We're going to take you to Rio because we have live pictures for the first time, the big carnival going on down in Rio. It all starts this week. So, New Orleans not the only place celebrating this week.

Thank you very much, Katy and Chris.

You know, to the weather now. Big problems last week. So what about this upcoming week? Jacqui Jeras.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Here we go again, Don. Unfortunately, we're looking at more snow possible in parts of the Mid and Deep South as well as the Ohio Valley.

We're going to watch that storm move into the Mid-Atlantic tomorrow, and into Tuesday it's going to be bringing some snow into the big cities across the Northeast. This one nowhere near what we had with "snowmageddon," but it's already causing flights to be cancelled. We'll talk about that with your forecast coming up.

LEMON: Jacqui, thank you very much.

Politics, foreign policy, the economy and entertainment also on the weekly radar starting with the president.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dan Lothian at the White House.

This week, President Obama has a mix of international and domestic issues on his plate. He'll meet with the Dalai Lama here at the White House, a controversial visit that China has protested. King Juan Carlos of Spain will also come here to meet with the president.

Then Mr. Obama will visit and tour a jobs training center in the D.C. area before heading to Denver, Colorado and Las Vegas, Nevada to meet with voters, business leaders, and attend political events.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jill Dougherty with what's happening at the State Department this week.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues on the road with her trip to Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The highlight of that trip -- Sunday's speech to the U.S. Islamic World Forum.

Wednesday, she comes back to Washington and meets with President Barack Obama. Then Thursday, sits down with the president of Guatemala. Friday, a meeting with the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, as the U.S. pushes forward on tougher sanctions against Iran.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM ANCHOR: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York.

Here are some of the stories we'll be following this week on CNNMoney.

The markets are closed on Monday for the holiday. But after a wild week on Wall Street, investors are bracing for what's ahead. We'll be keeping a close eye on Toyota after it recalled millions of cars.

And starting on Tuesday, we got a host of earnings reports from major corporations, including Kraft and pharmaceutical giant Merck, as well as Wal-Mart and Dell.

And housing and jobs will remain top of mind this week. We'll get new data on home building on Wednesday, and weekly jobless claims coming up on Thursday.

That is all ahead.

AJ HAMMER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm "Showbiz Tonight's" AJ Hammer.

And expect big news breaking Monday in Hollywood. That's when the official Oscar countdown begins with the annual luncheon for all of the Oscar nominees.

We're also expecting more big fallout this week from singer John Mayer's racially charged comments in a just released interview. The big question -- how badly is this going to hurt his career?

And Friday, one of the most anticipated movies of the year will open, "Shutter Island," Leonardo DiCaprio's latest movie with Oscar- winning director Martin Scorsese.

LEMON: Thank you, guys. There's your week ahead. You know, it's been almost nine years since 9/11, and the U.S. justice department is still trying to figure out what to do with the accused mastermind and four co-conspirators of that attack. Now the president has gotten involved.

Global warming or no global warming? That is the question. Bill Nye, the science guy, has an interesting answer for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The trial of accused September 11th mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four co-conspirators. Where will it be held? It is causing consternation around the world, and tonight it is still up in the air.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (voice over): When U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced his plan to bring the terror trial just blocks from ground zero --

ERIC HOLDER, US ATTORNEY GENERAL: They will be brought to New York, to New York, to answer for their alleged crimes in a...

LEMON: He probably never anticipated the backlash.

SEN. LINSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: The Obama administration's decision to prosecute the mastermind of 9/11, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and four other co-conspirators in civilian court in New York City makes no sense to most Americans, including me.

LEMON: Senator Lindsey Graham's comments not only reflected Republican concerns, but the swelling outrage from people in Manhattan. New York leaders were forced to protect their own interests and the people they represent.

GOV. DAVID PATERSON (D), NEW YORK: We still have been unable to rebuild that site, and having those terrorists tried so close to the attack is going to be an encumbrance on all New Yorkers.

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBEG, NEW YORK CITY: It's going to cost an awful lot of money and disturb an awful lot of people. My hope is that the attorney general and the president decide to change their mind.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: I've encouraged the administration to find suitable alternatives, and they appear to be doing just that. At this point, it's obvious. They cannot have the trials in New York.

LEMON: And perhaps the strongest voices the administration will consider -- the people who lost loved ones in the attack. Even they are divided.

CHARLES WOLF, LOST WIFE ON 9/11: By doing this, you are taking his actions out of the realm of being an act of warfare and calling it a crime. This was not a crime. This is far beyond a crime. It's an act of warfare.

TALAT HAMDANI, LOST SON ON 9/11: I trust my justice system, the constitution, which has been enforced in the last 230 years, and I want them tried here. My son was murdered here. And I want to see them go to trial here.

LEMON: Now the president, no closer to a solution. Terror suspects held in a prison he promised to close with no place to try them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: We bring in Noah Feldman now. He's a Harvard law professor and the author of "The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

So my question to you is, can you explain the difference here to our viewers, beyond the politics, how Khalid Sheikh Mohammed being treated differently in New York City? How we'd be treated in a trial versus Guantanamo Bay trial or a military trial?

PROF. NOAH FELDMAN, HARVARD LAW SCHOOL: The core difference between a military tribunal and a civilian trial is who are the judges. In a military trial, the judges will be military officers, often of pretty high rank. There's a great likelihood of conviction as a result.

On top of that, the rules of procedure would not be the same rules that would apply in a civilian trial. So sometimes secret evidence could be introduced and sometimes other evidence that might have been acquired by means that wouldn't be allowed in a civilian trial might make it in.

And that really matters in the case of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed because of the widespread allegations, widely accepted as true, that he was subjected to a great deal of water boarding, perhaps more than 100 times.

LEMON: So, dig down on that a little more, why it really matters. You said he was subjected to water boarding, but keep going. What do you mean?

FELDMAN: So as a result, in a civilian trial, any evidence that's in any way, shape, or form connected to that acquired through the water boarding is going to be inadmissible, because those procedures obviously are radically outside of the bounds of what our ordinary civilian interrogation would allow or permit. And some people believe they even violated our laws against torture.

So nothing that came from that sort of evidence, either from Mohammed himself or from others, would be admitted...

LEMON: And how might that affect the trial?

FELDMAN: Well, it would mean, first of all, that proof of guilt would have to come from other sources. It probably couldn't come from any kind of a confession that Mohammed himself made, even if he made it prior to the water boarding. He might well be considered as tainted, or he made it afterwards.

It would mean that evidence would have to come from independent sources, and that might be very, very difficult to do.

It also means that his lawyers, if they so chose and if they were clever, might spend a lot of time at the trial trying to introduce the fact of the water boarding to muddy the waters and make it hard to believe other evidence against him and...

LEMON: So this evidence at a military tribunal -- in a military tribunal, this would be allowed into evidence, but also the record would be private, am I correct? But in a civilian court, is the record, would it be open to the public?

FELDMAN: Well, first of all, military tribunal doesn't have to be open to the public. And then, there's no guarantee that it would be wholly open to the public.

With respect to the evidence, if it were actually acquired through direct coercion, then under the present rules, it probably would not be admitted at trial. But it's not obvious that every element would be excluded, and the rules of exclusion would be pretty different.

One of the things about a military tribunal is that the government essentially gets to set the rules. And it can set the rules in such a way as to make it easier to get evidence in and certainly make it much harder for the government to be embarrassed by evidence introduced by the defendant's lawyers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And for more of my conversation with Noah Feldman, go to our blog, cnn.com/don.

He's accused of robbing Haiti of hundreds of millions of dollars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like the president going to the Federal Reserve and upon instruction of the president, please give $100,000.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Just writing himself checks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. And that was happening almost every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: CNN on a quest to find Baby Doc.

And a massive pileup shuts down an interstate for hours near Kansas City. What they used to remove those involved from the accident scene. We'll tell you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Want to check some of your top stories right now. Police say three hooded men walked inside a San Francisco Bay area church today and opened fire during the service. About 100 people were worshiping at the church when the gunfire erupted. The gunmen shot a 14-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man. Investigators aren't sure if they were the intended targets. Both are expected to be OK. The shooters have not been caught.

Two adults and a child were killed today when a helicopter crashed near Phoenix, Arizona. FAA officials say the chopper burst into flames after it went down. Eurocopter EC135 crashed in the Tonto National Forest.

In Vancouver, two members of the U.S. Olympics delegation were hurt today while traveling in Vice President Joe Biden's motorcade. Former gold medalist Peggy Fleming and Vonetta Flowers suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital just as a precaution, though.

A spokesman says the van in which they were riding was involved in a minor accident. Neither Biden nor anyone else in the motorcade was involved in that accident.

I want to turn now to our Jacqui Jeras.

Jacqui, snow and ice creating big messes across the country this weekend and another system coming through.

JERAS: Yes, absolutely. We want to show you the most extreme weather that we've been experiencing this weekend, Don. Incredible pictures out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

We'll start you there, where last week's snowfall just became too much for the roof of an ice skating rink. It collapsed. People were actually inside at the time. Thankfully, they heard a cracking sound and were able to get out in time. Nobody was hurt.

There you can see emergency crews in the area. So some tense moments there after last week's storm.

Let's go now to Kansas City, just outside the city. Three interstates shut down from three separate accidents. This one in Wyandotte County along I-70. About 30 cars or more, they're estimating, crashed here. There were some injuries. Still searching to see how severe they were.

And last, we'll take you to California now, where two huge rogue waves along with high tide inundated the beach during a surf contest. And there you can see several people washed up under the beaches there. There were a few injuries. A couple of people with broken bones. So some scary moments out of the West Coast. Those high surf advisories, by the way, still in effect there at Half Moon Bay until tomorrow -- Don. LEMON: All right, Jacqui Jeras, thank you very much. We'll check back to see how the morning commute is going to be a little bit later on.

You know what? Jobs may be getting easier to find, fast food is not recession-proof, and people are still finding love in the workplace. Here's Stephanie Elam with this week's "Getting Down to Business."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nearly 15 million Americans are out of work, but finding a job might be a little bit easier. According to a government report released last week, there are now just under six job seekers for every opening.

That's the best ratio since last June. But when the recession began in late 2007, only two people vied for each job.

Watch for the latest unemployment numbers on Thursday.

The economy may be showing signs of improvement, but it turns out Americans are spending less on Big Macs and six packs. Last week, McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Molson Coors reported that sales were down in the U.S.

Find out more about the cost of what we spend our money on when inflation rates are released on Friday.

And finally on this Valentine's Day, the state of the economy hasn't stopped people from finding love in the workplace. According to a CareerBuilder survey, nearly 40 percent of workers admit to having an office romance sometime during their career, and a third of those people went on to marry the person they dated at work.

That's this week's "Getting Down to Business."

Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Two big snowstorms in the nation's capital and political tongues are wagging. Conservatives have been bashing former Vice President Al Gore and other climate change advocates, and they're having a lot of fun doing it. They say the colder than normal winter and snowier than normal winter proof positive that global warming is a bunch of hooey.

But is their criticism fair? So let's get the answers now from the Science Guy, Mr. Bill Nye.

It's always good to see you. So you know...

BILL NYE, "THE SCIENCE GUY": Good to see you, Don. LEMON: You know everything about climate change, right? So, Republicans, you know, they have been really bashing the former vice president. So I want to show you Senator Jim DeMint, what he posted on his Twitter page. He said it's going to keep snowing in D.C. until Al Gore cries "uncle."

And then our representative -- there is the tweet right there -- Representative Jim Inhofe, Oklahoma, posted photos on his Facebook page. Inhofe, he said, "Al Gore's new home." A six-foot igloo. The family built it on Capitol Hill. Right there.

So what do you make of this? Does this disprove global warming? Or is this over the top? What do you think?

NYE: Well, I'd start with what do you think? Absolutely not. It doesn't disprove climate change. Now, the word global warming, let me back up, is sort of the first term that was coined 15 years ago, let's say, or 1988, when it was first testified -- Jim Hansen testified in front of Congress, let's say.

But since then, people have used the expression "climate change" because warming is in a global sense certainly happening, but it's the changes that happen locally on account -- like for example, this year the winds -- the jet stream is much farther south than you might expect. And so it's snowing in Atlanta, right?

But that absolutely does not disprove climate change. I mean, people are making these claims, I think it's really remarkable. None of this stuff has exactly anything to do with the blizzard this year, and none of it has anything to do exactly with the world getting warmer and...

LEMON: OK.

NYE: ...the world's climate changing.

LEMON: Mr. Science Guy, hang on a little bit. I'm not going to -- I'm not going to stop you here. I just want to bring in our Jacqui Jeras, who's our meteorologist here, and we talked about this a little bit when we were discussing, should we get Bill Nye on, what should we do?

So, Jacqui's going to join us. Finish your thought and then I want to let Jacqui ask you a question, but quicker.

NYE: Well, it's just you can't look at two weeks of weather and then declare that all the research that's been done and all the climate models are not valid. It's -- that's just not how you would draw conclusions. You see an occasional somebody will spin a roulette wheel and get a double 0, but that happens very, very seldom. So I mention it as an analogy. Two weeks of weather is not enough.

LEMON: OK.

Jacqui? JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I absolutely agree with Bill. Regardless of what you think about climate change, you have to look at the word climate, right? And that's the long-term weather of what you would expect over a place. And so you can't say one storm or two storms even means that global warming isn't happening.

On top of that, you know, we had incredible snowfall totals with these storms. You know, five different major metropolitan areas had more snow than they've ever seen in one season.

Now, when air is warmer, you tend to hold more moisture in it. So you get a blizzard and it's 30 degrees, you're going to get a whole lot more snow in a blizzard than where you had the temperature down to, say, 18 degrees because it's drier air. So in a way we could almost disprove that.

But it does seem -- you know, I get asked all the time -- oh, it's cold out there, does that mean global warming isn't happening?

Well, I do think people kind of say that tongue-in-cheek way.

LEMON: Hey, I've got to tell you, our viewers are weighing in here, Bill and Jacqui. And here's what one person says.

She says, "Climate change and weather are not the same thing. Besides, it's called climate change, idiots." And an exclamation point.

I'll give you the last word, Bill.

NYE: Well, I have a question for Jacqui. Has it really been colder or has it just been cold enough to have snow instead of rain?

LEMON: Quick answer, Jacqui.

JERAS: Well, I did a little bit of research. Many of those big cities have had colder than normal temperatures for the last two weeks. But almost every single of those same cities have had above- average temperatures in January.

LEMON: All right. Thank you both.

NYE: Warmest January on record, yes. Thank you all very much. Keep up the good work and try to get everybody to understand this issue.

LEMON: Thank you.

JERAS: Thanks, Bill.

LEMON: Thank you, Bill. It's good to see you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. That was a little bit earlier here on CNN.

He is sorry. The president of Toyota makes a very public apology for one of the largest automotive recalls ever.

And our Jacqui Jeras is here as well.

JERAS: Hey, Don, we've got more snow on the way across parts of the South where you wouldn't expect it yet again. Where is the storm headed? Yes, the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast are going to get it too, but not as bad as last time around. We'll let you know what to expect, coming up in your forecast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The top stories right now on CNN, you're about to get a rare glimpse at a Japanese CEO accepting responsibility for his company in a very personal way. Toyota President Akio Toyota bows and apologizes to a Prius customer. He did it yesterday. It was at a dealership in Japan. The Prius is one of four Toyota vehicles that have been recalled in recent weeks.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling on Iran to rethink its nuclear policies or risk sanctions. She made the comments today at the World Economic Forum in Qatar. She also updated delegates on the condition of her husband, recovering from surgery to clear a blocked artery in his heart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: He is in great shape. All is well or I would not be here this evening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, the secretary also said she's forging a peace deal between the Palestinians and Israelis, and that it is a priority.

Southwest Airlines has a message for filmmaker Kevin Smith. They're saying sorry, dude. The "LA Times" is reporting that Smith went into a Twitter tirade after Southwest kicked him off a plane for being too fat.

Now, Smith acknowledges he is large but not so big that he can't fly. All the same, Southwest issued a statement saying it regrets how Smith was treated. The airline gave him a $100 voucher for his inconvenience.

Weigh in on Twitter on that one, and we'll play some of your responses on the air.

Let's check in now with our Jacqui Jeras.

Jacqui, how's the week ahead looking?

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: All right, Jacqui. Thank you.

Who would steal millions from the Haiti people? One man is accused of doing it.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like the president is going to the Federal Reserve and upon instruction of the president, please give $100,000.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Just writing himself checks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. And that was happening almost every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A CNN special investigation tonight. We'll tell you what happened to some of that money.

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LEMON: Tonight, a CNN special investigation. Abbie Boudreau of our Special Investigations Unit is on the hunt for Baby Doc Duvalier. His family is accused of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from the people of Haiti, money that could be used to rebuild the island nation after the devastating earthquake.

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ABBIE BOUDREAU, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT (voice over): We've come to Paris in search of the man who wrecked Haiti, the man whose family stole as much as $1 billion from one of the neediest countries in the world.

GILLES AUGUST, ATTORNEY: From the $500 million we documented, which are probably half of the money which has been embezzled by Mr. Duvalier and his wife and their accomplices, we have evidence that they transferred abroad $120 million.

BOUDREAU: Gilles August is the attorney who was hired to get the money back. And he's talking about this man, Jean-Claude Duvalier, known as Baby Doc.

But it was really a father and son act. Baby Doc's father was a brutal dictator known as Papa Doc Duvalier. He began their nearly 30- year crime spree in the 1950s. They had a vicious secret militia, the Tonton Macoutes. Roughly translated, it means the bogey men. Under their reign of terror, as many as 60,000 Haitians were killed.

After his father died, Baby Doc took larceny to a new level, especially after he married his glamorous wife, Michelle. Together, they used their country like a personal piggy bank.

AUGUST: It's like the president is going to the Federal Reserve and upon instruction of the president -- please give $100,000.

BOUDREAU (on camera): Just writing himself checks? AUGUST: Absolutely. And that was happening almost every day. Cash. Cash. Cash. Cash. Cash. And this is the bank of the republic.

BOUDREAU: oh, my goodness.

AUGUST: You see?

BOUDREAU: He was just using this as his personal bank account?

AUGUST: Absolutely. Here they are debiting something like $400,000. And these $400,000 are debited from the national defense to New York care of Spritzer and Fehrmann, which is a nice jewelry shop in New York.

BOUDREAU (voice over): Jacques Sales also worked on the case.

JACQUES SALES, ATTORNEY: Another example, following instruction by his Excellency, the president for life, please transfer $100,000 to the Ferrari automotive company in Modena, Italy, you know.

BOUDREAU (on camera): Ferrari? So he was buying himself cars and what other things was he buying himself?

SALES: Roughly $20 million to buy, I would say, stuff, you know, jewelry, mink coats, a yacht, cars, et cetera. And then $100 million in cash or in real estate. That's why we believe that they are about $100 million when they went away.

BOUDREAU (voice over): A popular uprising forced the Duvaliers to run away to France in 1986, but many of those who conspired and enriched themselves with the dictator remained in power, allowing Baby Doc to escape free and clear.

At first, the ex-dictator and his wife lived like royalty on the French Riviera, but the Duvaliers' riches and romance came to an end. Their divorce was messy. Michelle reportedly ended up with most of the loot, according to British journalist Peter Allen, who showed us her ritzy Parisian penthouse.

(on camera): She's on the top floor?

PETER ALLEN, BRITISH JOURNALIST: She's on the top floor. She has a rather impressive apartment up there, which suggests she's retained quite a bit of the money that they managed to bring out of their homeland.

BOUDREAU (voice-over): Baby Doc fell on harder times, and he's kept a very low profile. Despite his once vast wealth, critics say he's now hiding from bill collectors.

ALLEN: Whereas his wife is now living in a penthouse, he is likely to be living in a small -- what they are, they're the kind of little flats which were originally used for servants in the building.

BOUDREAU: We heard Baby Doc was in this lower-rent Parisian neighborhood, so we showed local store owner his picture.

(on camera): Un photo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FRENCH)

BOUDREAU: So you have seen him?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FRENCH)

BOUDREAU: OK.

(voice-over): He said he was once a regular customer, but the trail was now cold.

(on camera): Monsieur Duvalier? Monsieur Duvalier? No?

ALLEN: This is all part of the mystery, and it's a mystery that needs to be solved, if we are to put the questions to him that deserve to be put to him

BOUDREAU (voice-over): Duvalier had disappeared, like most of his money. But we did find what little was left. It's held in a UBS account in Geneva, Switzerland.

MARC HENZELIN: Out of the whole fortune of the Duvaliers, we managed to find only $5 million to $7 million at UBS here in Geneva. For the rest, it's probably in the hands of lawyers, real estate agents. We don't know what. Probably even the Duvaliers don't know. But in any case, the money will not go back to the Duvaliers. Don't worry about that.

BOUDREAU: That's because attorney Mark Kenselaf (ph) blocked those funds on behalf of two men, victims, who were tortured during Duvalier's reign.

ETZER LALANES, VICTIM: My family was telling me it is time now to leave the country, because if you -- if you don't leave, they will kill you.

BOUDREAU: Etzer Lalanes won his case against Duvalier, but he hasn't seen a dime. He says he's not fighting this battle for personal gain.

LALANES: I will fight until I get the right because I don't want Duvalier to get a dime of this money. This money is for the people of Haiti. The people of Haiti will use this money.

BOUDREAU: People who desperately need it now more than ever. That's why Jacques Sales is so sorry Baby Doc has never been held accountable.

(on camera): How responsible is he for the people of Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake, given the fact that he had stolen so much money from them?

SALES: They destroyed the country completely. The army, the church, the university, everything was destroyed. Everything. So they are naturally responsible for the state of the country today.

BOUDREAU: Just one day before the earthquake, Switzerland's Supreme Court ruled it could no longer block Duvalier's funds, but the Swiss federal government then quickly stepped in and promised to create a new law that would prevent Duvalier from ever getting that money.

Abbie Boudreau, CNN, London.

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LEMON: All right, Abbie.

A new sketch of the arsonist behind those Texas church fires. You're not going to believe what he used to start the blazes.

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LEMON: You know what? Tax season right here now and the deadline quickly approaching. A lot of changes this tax season, including a huge incentive for new home buyers. So pay attention. Our personal finance editor Gerri Willis has details for you.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: There is a home buyer tax credit and it was increased last year to 10 percent of the cost of your new house to a maximum of $8,000. And yes, that is larger than the original tax credit.

Plus it's refundable, meaning you get the money even if you don't owe taxes.

Now, you need to know about the deadlines. An eligible taxpayer must buy or enter into a binding contract to buy a principal residence on or before April 30th of this year and then close by June.

Now, you should know this isn't just for new home buyers. Long- term home buyers buying a principal new residence can also use this credit. There are lots of details. You need to look those up.

The new law also requires stricter proof of purchase. This is a safeguard against fraud. And it requires you to send in a copy of the settlement sheet so you won't be able to file your 2009 return electronically. And that, of course, is going to slow down your refund, but $8,000 is worth it.

LEMON: All right, Gerri Willis, it certainly is. $8000, a lot of money.

We know that you're watching our show tonight. We know. But guess who else is.

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JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": Oh, my God, quick, turn on CNN.

This is Don Lemon. A giant turtle is attacking the universe. Run for your lives, everybody.

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LEMON: Looks like all of our hard work is paying off for some good material on Comedy Central. Jon Stewart, "The Daily Show." We like a good laugh even at our expense.

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LEMON: So every weekend we try to get you caught up on interesting stories that you may have missed throughout the week.

So let's start this with a new sketch of a suspected church arsonist in east Texas. The latest two fires were Monday in Tyler, about three miles apart. Now, this detail that you're going to hear is terrible. Bibles apparently were used to start the blaze at one church. Church members were outraged. They call it sacrilege.

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SHIRLEY VALADEZ, CHURCH MEMBER: Why? This is the Lord's house. And it's such a shame that somebody can be such an unbeliever.

WILBUR CALLAWAY, DEACON: We have been real happy here, my wife and I, and we're just shocked about this. You know, just can't believe it. The person that did it, I hope they got enjoyment out of it because they're going to pay for it somewhere down the line. God's not going to let them get away with this. I'm sorry. I'm feeling a little emotional.

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LEMON: Federal agents have confirmed 10 cases of church arson this year in Texas, all of them in small towns.

Israeli authorities say this man is a cult leader who kept nearly two dozen women as sex slaves in a Tel Aviv compound. Goel Ratzon was charged today with sexual assault, rape, sodomy and enslavement. The 23 women were said to have tattoos of Ratzon's name and picture.

According to Israeli authorities, he fathered up to 59 children. Ratzon denied he was a cult leader. He said the women consented to live with him and they could have left if they wanted.

You know, I'm a big fan of "Daily Show" with Jon Stewart, but apparently he's a big fan of us as well. Check this out.

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STEWART: That announcement from Iran was today. Oh, my god, quick, turn on CNN!

This is Don Lemon. A giant turtle is attacking the universe. Run for your lives, everybody.

Pretty awesome, right? Snowtorious. B-I-G.

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LEMON: That was one of two appearances this week. Didn't see them. Someone texted me and said, hey, Don, Jon Stewart is making fun of you again.

Thank you, Jon. We appreciate it. Happy Valentine's Day to you.

Really, happy Valentine's Day to everyone who watched. Thank you for watching us. See you back here next weekend. Make sure you have a great week everybody.